Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2015
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2015
This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall designate and approve independent accreditation organizations that apply quality standards for suppliers only if they are Boards for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification or essentially equivalent programs.
Special payment rules for certain prosthetics and custom-fabricated orthotics are extended to custom-fitted orthotics. Such rules do not apply, however, to off-the-shelf orthotics furnished on or after January 1, 2016, which are included in a competitive acquisition program.
Decisions about Medicare coverage of orthotics and prosthetics on or after January 1, 2016, must take into account the complexity of the item as well as supplier qualifications (which do not apply, however, to physicians, occupational therapists, or physical therapists state-licensed to provide such items).
Documentation created by an orthotist or prosthetist is considered part of the patient's medical record.
Requirements for suppliers of orthotics and prosthetics are separated from those for suppliers of durable medical equipment.
Orthotists and prosthetists must have a supplier number for Medicare payment to be made.
Patients are not liable for payment of furnished orthotics or prosthetics where payment may not be made or where payment is denied. Only the orthotists or prosthetists are liable in such circumstances.
Only the patient may make the minimal self-adjustment required to qualify off-the-shelf orthotics for Medicare coverage in a competitive acquisition program.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on March 23, 2015. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 23, 2015: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced it on March 23, 2015, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 23, 2015, 4189 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4189 days ago, on March 23, 2015.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers